JOURNAL OF The Russell Society Volume 16, 2013 www.russellsoc.org JOURNAL OF THE RUSSELL SOCIETY The journal of British Isles topographical mineralogy EDITOR Norman Moles School of Environment and Technology, University of Brighton, Cockcroft Building, Lewes Road, Brighton, BN2 4GJ JOURNAL MANAGER Frank Ince 78 Leconfield Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 3SQ EDITORIAL BOARD R.E. Bevins, Cardiff, U.K. I.R. Plimer, Parkville, Australia R.S.W. Braithwaite, Manchester, U.K. M.T. Price, OUMNH, Oxford, U.K T.E. Bridges, Ovington, U.K. R.E. Starkey, Bromsgrove, U.K A. Dyer, Hoddleston, Darwin, U.K. R.F. Symes, Sidmouth, U.K. N.J. Elton, St Austell, U.K. P.A. Williams, Kingswood, Australia A.D. Hart, NHM, London, U.K. Aims and Scope: The Journal publishes refereed articles by both amateur and professional mineralogists dealing with all aspects of mineralogy relating to the British Isles. Contributions are welcome from both members and non-members of the Russell Society. Notes for contributors can be found at the back of this issue, on the Society website (www.russellsoc.org) or obtained from the Editor or Journal Manager. Subscription rates: The Journal is free to members of the Russell Society. The subscription rate for non-members is £13 (including P&P) for this volume. Enquiries should be made to the Journal Manager at the above address. Back numbers of the Journal may also be ordered through the Journal Manager. The Russell Society, named after the eminent amateur mineralogist Sir Arthur Russell (1878–1964), is a society of amateur and professional mineralogists which encourages the study, recording and conservation of mineralogical sites and material. For information about membership, refer to the Society website www.russellsoc.org or write to the Membership Secretary, Neil Hubbard, 30 Thirlmere Road, Barrow-upon-Soar, Leicestershire, LE12 8QQ. Printed by: Flexpress Ltd, 8 Coal Cart Road, Interchange, Birstall, Leicester, LE4 3BY Published by: The Russell Society. Registered Charity No. 803308. Copyright: Whilst the Russell Society retains the copyright to the printed journal, the copyright of the text is not necessarily held by the Society. Permission to reproduce any text, figures or photographs from the articles must be obtained from the Journal Manager. The views and opinions expressed in this journal are not necessarily those of the Editor, the Society or the Editorial Board. ISSN 0263 7839 FRONT COVER: Cut and polished section through the lowermost 16 cm of the manganese ore bed obtained from Llyn Du Bach Mine, Harlech, Merionethshire, Wales. National Museum of Wales Specimen No. NMW 2013.18G.M.1. BACK COVER: Bob King admiring a fine North Pennine fluorite at the British Mineral and Gem Show in Leicester (March 1981). Reprinted with the kind permission of the Leicester Mercury. Journal of the Russell Society CONTENTS Volume 16, 2013 OBITUARY Dr R.J. (Bob) King (1923-2013) Roy E. Starkey 3-5 PAPERS Phosgenite and matlockite in Derbyshire (Part 2) Trevor F. Bridges 6-12 Unusual fluorite from Old Towns Quarry, Newton Aycliffe, Co. Durham Trevor F. Bridges and Timothy H. Pettigrew 12-14 NOTES Coronadite and romanchèite from the Northern Pennine Orefield Stephen Moreton and Robert Lawson 15-17 Hemimorphite replacements of rugose corals from Swaledale, North Yorkshire Brian Young 17-19 PAPERS ‘Cellular’ quartz from Teesdale, Northern Pennines Brian Young and Roy E. Starkey 19-24 A review of the occurrences of hydrocarbon-containing materials in Leicestershire Francis Ince 25-38 A new assemblage of manganese silicates in the Lower Cambrian manganese ore bed, Harlech, Merionethshire, Wales Tom F. Cotterell 39-51 Franklinphilite in veinlets in the Lower Cambrian manganese ore bed, Harlech, Merionethshire, Wales Tom F. Cotterell and Neil Hubbard 51-59 Chernovite-(Y) in reduction spots in Welsh slate Helen C. Kerbey 60-63 Zircon pyroxenite from Upper Badcall, Sutherland, North-west Scotland Andy Moffat and Roy E. Starkey 64-67 Journal of the Russell Society (2013) 1 Editorial Sadly we start this volume with an obituary to the founding father of the Russell Society, Dr Robert (Bob) King, who died on 25 September 2013. Bob was pivotal in establishing the Journal of the Russell Society as a vehicle to achieve the Society’s aims of researching, conserving and recording British topographical mineralogy. Roy Starkey’s obituary outlines Bob’s career and achievements and is followed by a selected bibliography of Bob’s extensive publications. Bob influenced the lives of many aspiring geologists and mineralogists, professional and amateur alike, especially in the areas around Leicester and Cardiff where he spent much of his working life. It is therefore particularly appropriate that this volume includes a paper on Leicestershire mineralogy: in this case, occurrences of hydrocarbon-containing materials. Frank Ince’s review makes extensive reference to Bob King’s mineralogical research, much of which has remained somewhat hidden from view in Bob’s unpublished PhD thesis. Other papers in this volume also have long histories - in various ways. Trevor Bridges provides Part 2 of an article on phosgenite and matlockite in Derbyshire, Part 1 of which was published in Volume 1 in 1983. He explains in his introduction why Part 2 took a little longer than he anticipated. This is followed by several short contributions on aspects of the mineralogy of the North Pennine Orefield. Then, following Frank’s review of ‘black blobs’ in Leicestershire, the focus shifts to North Wales with articles on the complex and intriguing mineralogy of the manganese ore bed, and the first report of the rare earth element bearing mineral chernovite-(Y) in Wales. Volume 16 concludes with an excursion to the Lewisian gneiss terrain of the northwest Highlands of Scotland and a remarkable occurrence of coarsely crystalline zircon. Andy Moffat and Roy Starkey’s paper has a painful ‘sting in the tail’: their locality has been stripped and destroyed by unscrupulous mineral collectors. Indeed for this reason the authors felt that publication of the occurrence would be unhindered by fears of exploitation, which is often the reason for keeping secret the exact locations of mineral occurrences. This setback is frustrating but we should turn our anger to positive use by pursuing with increased vigour the goals of the Russell Society to research, conserve and record the mineralogical treasure-house of the British Isles. Following publication of this volume, I am passing the editorial baton to Malcolm Southwood who has agreed to take on the role, despite being domiciled in the antipodes! My thanks to all Council members, authors of Journal contributions and the team of reviewers for their support over the 10 year period during which I have been Editor. I am immensely grateful to Frank whose role as Journal Manager has broadened to one of Co-Editor, and similarly this year to Malcolm who has in effect been ‘Deputy Editor’. I am delighted that editorship of the Journal is passing into such capable hands. Norman Moles Honorary Journal Editor Malcolm will be pleased to receive any contributions to the Journal of the Russell Society Volume 17 (2014). Please send a copy of your manuscript, figures, etc. via e-mail to: [email protected]; or by post to: Dr Malcolm Southwood, 7 Campbell Court, Warrandyte, Victoria 3113, Australia. 2 Journal of the Russell Society (2013) Robert (Bob) Joseph King (1923-2013) Roy E. Starkey Bob King will be known to almost all current and past Bob was married to his first wife, Iris in 1949, who members of the Society, as its founder, and greatest advocate. sadly died, and with whom he had two children, Barry and He was a major figure in the fields of British mineralogy and Josephine. Later, in 1977, he married his present wife Sally, mineral collecting, with a network of friends and colleagues with whom he also had two children, Amy and Daniel, and that spanned the globe. enjoyed many happy years. Robert Joseph King was born on the 18th March 1923 In his professional life Bob was a member of numerous in Leicester, England. He attended the City Boys School, organisations including the Mineralogical Society of Great Leicester, and obtained a post as a student at Leicester Britain (since 1948; Elected Fellow in January 1998); (New Walk) Museum, until interrupted by World War II. Fellow of the Institute of Quarrying (since December Bob served in North Africa and Italy, returning with a large 1981); Fellow of the Institute of Science and Technology suite of minerals from Monte Somma (Mt. Vesuvius). After (since March 1996); and Founder Member of Geological being demobbed from the armed forces in 1946, he worked Curators Group in 1974 (and winner of its A.G. Brighton for eight years on a farm in Newton Harcourt, Leicestershire. Medal in 1995). He became friends with the late John Harry McDonald (Mac) Whitaker who would send people bringing mineral Bob’s local geological and mining interests lead to him specimens into the Leicester New Walk Museum to “go and participating in the activities of the Peak District Mines speak with Mr. King at Newton Harcourt”. Historical Society (with his great friend and colleague Trevor Ford); the Leicester Literary and Philosophical Mac regularly visited Bob to discuss identifications Society, where he became Life President of the Geology and localities in Leicestershire, forming a friendship which Section (C); and in his later years, following a move to later led to him recruiting Bob to a post as technician in rural Gloucestershire he became keenly involved with the the Geography Department of the University of Leicester Cotteswold Naturalists Field Club. in 1954, (together with Trevor Ford and Tony Evans). The Russell Society was born, out of an evening class, Mac formed the Geology with Geography Department in th 1952 and by 1954 Geology had become an independent on the 27 October 1972 when approximately thirty people, department that flourished under Mac’s team (and later with all from the area in and around Leicester, met to inaugurate Peter Sylvester-Bradley).